SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

First, understand that your employees are going to use social media with or without you and recognize it for the opportunity that it is. For companies seeking to leverage the social media frenzy the question is not "How do I control these relationships" but, rather, "How do I leverage the value of all these relationships?" The answer lies in understanding how the content you and your employees contribute to the conversation enhances the value of the conversation.

Second, understand that you are building your social reputation, so you don't want to be frivolous or uninteresting. Simply put, "Just got on a plane to Florida" doesn't add value. A very experienced business consultant whom I follow can seem to tweet about nothing other than his current location or state of nourishment.

Third, focus on strategies that empower employees to become brand ambassadors, increase knowledge, share ideas and information and promote collaboration. Businesses should stay ahead of the curve and set some basic guidelines as to when, where, how and why an employee can appropriately discuss aspects of their job or the company.

Some appropriate guidelines include the following:

1) Philosophy: how does social media fit into an employees job expectations and performance

2) Behavioral Expectations: areas of expertise; respectful conduct; timeliness; perspective; transparency & judiciousness

3) Channel expectations: Which sites (communication channels) are appropriate for which types of communications.

4) Contextual Expectations: conversational style; perception; value

5) Content Expectations: use of company proprietary information, including current projects, trademarks, names, logos